As many of you know, updating this blog is somewhat difficult but I will really try to keep it up. I am staying in Bedulu, which doesn’t really have internet access anywhere, so I have to go to Ubud to get online. Ubud is about 15 minutes away by bemo (the public transportation system), and it only costs 3,000 rupiah (30 cents) if you are a good bargainer. The thing is that I am so busy all of the time that I usually only go into Ubud about twice a week, so that means I am usually only on the internet for 2 hours/wk or less. It is kind of refreshing being on a sort of technology fast, because I hardly use my computer, and I don’t watch TV at all. The downside is that it is harder for me to keep in touch with you all, and with what is actually going on in the world, because I don’t have my daily cnn.com reads or NPR to keep me informed. Oh, and I don’t think any internet connection I have had so far will let me upload pictures into this blog.
Lately, I have been trying to get settled in with my homestay family which is fun but harder than expected. I have already talked about it some, but I will add things as I find out more. It isn’t really considered necessary or required to introduce family members, so I am still trying to figure out exactly who lives in my family compound. I talk most with my ibu (host mom) and my 18-year-old host sister that is studying English, whose name I avoid saying because it is difficult to pronounce. They are great at helping me with homework when I need it, and I appreciate it a lot. My host dad works as a cook in a hotel and I’m pretty sure he works at night because he is usually not here then- so I haven’t really spoken to him much besides basic greetings but he seems really friendly. I also have a 23-year-old host brother and another 17-year-old host sister. There is also another girl that I was never introduced to and was very confused about for a few days, until I found out that my host brother got married about a week before I came- so that is his wife. Also, the family dog Pu that I mentioned before (as well as the other dog Olem that I just found out about) is finally getting used to me and usually only barks at me when I come home, instead of giving me the threatening bark-growl all the time. However, the mangy stray dog that is randomly still in front of my house will not give up on his serious bark-growl-snarl. I had to laugh when I told my family that the dog made me nervous, and they told me that I have to “be brave.”
So basically, I’m trying to make an effort to get to know everyone in my family and it’s more difficult than when I was in France because of the language barrier, but also because there isn’t really a specific “family time.” Balinese people don’t really eat meals together, so dinnertime conversations are out. Usually I sit outside my room and study, and someone often comes to talk to me there- like my ibu or host sister. The other day I decided to make more of an effort and asked if I could help make dinner, and ended up making a yummy, basic vegetable dish with cabbage and spinach. I had to push a little bit, and I think it was because my ibu didn’t want to make me work. So I had to explain several times that I actually like cooking. She did let me help, and I had a lot of fun learning the names of all of the ingredients and the basic cooking style. When language communication becomes a problem, we usually resort to laughter. I definitely need to take a picture of the kitchen too, because it’s hard to explain what it’s like. It’s actually outside, ovens don’t really exist here, and the stove they have is pretty powerful but almost looks like a camping stove. I hope I learn how to make more Balinese food so I can treat everyone to that when I get home!
While I am in Bali, I am required to choose one traditional Balinese art form to study and practice. I have chosen batik- the fabric dying/painting that is done to make beautiful sarongs and wall hangings. I recently had my first lesson, which is at this batik maker’s house in Ubud. It’s kind of like a circus there because there are dogs and chickens running around, and there’s also a giant pig in a pen nearby that is always making weird noises. I started my first project, which is pretty small but nonetheless a complicated design. I have already sketched it onto the fabric and started to cover my sketch in wax. This is so hard- you have a tool that you put melted wax into, which you have to control well enough to follow the lines of your sketch. When the wax gets too cold, you clean out the tool and put new wax in. Sometimes I feel like a toddler trying to color, because it’s like I don’t have the fine motor skills to properly control the tool. Also, I very stupidly burned myself within the first 10 minutes of using the wax. Soon I will start dying the fabric, and after that you take off the wax to reveal your design. But one thing I do have to remember about that place is to NEVER use the bathroom there again. The first time I was there I really had to go, so I asked where it was, fully conscious that there would be no toilet paper. What I did not expect was the disgusting floor that I probably contracted some foot disease from, as well as the poor lighting that is not sufficient for people who are not accustomed to using squatters. Oh yeah, no soap either. I bathed especially well when I got home that afternoon.
I’m also taking yoga classes here at the Yoga Barn, which is the most amazing yoga studio I have ever seen. The studio is on the 2nd floor, and it’s open air with a view of the nearby rice fields and palm trees. I have been going to a vinyasa flow class, which is all about following your breath through series of movements to create energy in the body. After all yoga classes, you usually have a short relaxation period which is normally my favorite, but here it’s been difficult because I can either feel bugs landing on me or want to scratch a bug bite that already exists. So instead of relaxation it’s more of a will power mind game. I have taken yoga classes on and off at many different places for the past couple years but I have never really done it regularly, so I hope that I will be able to keep it up while I am here so that I can build more strength and continue when I get home.
The other day, I got to see a balian (traditional Balinese healer) in action. A girl in my group had possibly stretched a ligament in her food over the weekend and wasn’t interested in paying the expensive fee that the doctors at the clinic were asking for. Apparently going to the balian in a group of 3 is not good, so I was asked to go with two of the program sponsors and my friend to make 4 of us. Balians often work from their houses, and each one specializes in something specific, so this one was a bone healer. He spent a minute or two just looking at the foot, and then feeling the area around the ankle where it had swelled while rubbing some sort of oil on it. Then he explained what was wrong with the bone-how it had moved slightly, and how he put it back in place. The next step was replenishing the blood flow in the foot, which was done mostly by massage. All of this he did while telling stories about Japanese tourists coming to see him that found out about him on the internet, and also an American that told him to come to the US and get rich from his healing abilities.
Just some random stuff:
- I don’t know if I have commented yet on the ridiculous amount of chickens there are running around Bali. I think every family has a least 10 chickens at any given time, which makes me take the bird flu a little more seriously. So, the other night I was having a dream that I was talking to Carrie. Suddenly, her voice became really annoying and I couldn’t take it anymore started walking away. Then I woke up from my dream and realized that the chicken screeching outside my window had been Carrie’s voice in my dream.
- My family grows passion fruit in the family compound, so that has been a wonderful treat. I can’t decide what my favorite fruit here is yet- there are too many good things that are so cheap. I can buy rambutan for about 1 cent apiece.
- I haven’t been missing TV, but I do miss watching movies every once in awhile. So I’m super excited because our program center just bought a tv and dvd player, and movies here are so cheap (although most of them are probably not legal/bootlegged)
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